When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I know it's not music, but even after all these years, I listen to Howard Stern in the car.

What's the first album you bought? Van Halen's 1984. I was 8 years old, and I tried to be the 20th caller on Friday Night Videos to win the vinyl album. Since I didn't win, I bought it.

What's the first concert you saw? Cypress Hill at The Riviera in Chicago. But a band nobody had really heard of, Rage Against the Machine, opened up for them, and they got booed off stage. I remember thinking, "Wow, those guys are angry."

What's your favorite concert you've ever been to? Grateful Dead's final show at Soldier Field in Chicago. So lucky to have seen that. I saw nearly 50 Dead shows back in the day.

What's the last song played on your music player? Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes doing "Home." The version from the Tiny Desk Concert in the NPR offices is just amazing.

What's your favorite album? Virtually any one by the Rolling Stones, but if I had to choose: Exile on Main St. It just never gets old.

Who is your favorite singer or band? Jerry Garcia. I'd always wanted to see him with Jerry Garcia Band instead of the Dead. During college, I drove to the Warfield Theater in San Francisco from Tempe only to find out the show was canceled (Jerry got bit by a jellyfish, apparently.) Hardly anyone asked for a refund just to keep the ticket stub. Now that's devotion.

Does you computer track how many times you've played something -- if so, what's at the top of the list? Any of the Mushroom Jazz albums. Background, foreground, midground -- they're always good.

What was your favorite new or new-to-you album from the past year?Between the Ditches, by The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. I gotta get these guys to the AZ BBQ Fest!

What band do you wish was still together? Black Eyed Peas, but pre-Fergie, pre-Pop, pre-Super Bowl halftime shows. I want my old school Black Eyed Peas back.

What one song would you play if you had a worldwide radio audience? "One Love," by Bob Marley.

Who is your favorite local artist? They've disbanded, but The Surfside IVwas great. They gave those surf classics such a good, hard edge.

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